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12
Dayum boy.
Okay, so when Kat suggested she teach Sterling how to surf, she hadn’t had an ulterior motive. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity to get an eyeful of his toned torso and legs. He got to his feet, still grinning like a loony, and waded back out to her.
“Did you see me?” he asked, eyes lit with the same excitement as some of the boys she’d seen at the surf school.
“I did. You rocked it.” They high-fived. “You’re good to go solo. I’ll grab my board and join you.”
His grin stretched wider and he strode past her. She watched him, her gaze slipping down to the tight buns beneath his borrowed shorts, and drew in a deep breath. For some reason, seeing him play in the waves and finally let go of his inhibitions made her unaccountably hot for him. And man, she loved that grin. She suspected it didn’t come out very often because there were no smile-lines around his eyes, or brackets around his mouth. It made her giddy with pleasure that he was enjoying himself so much with her.
She trudged up the sand, wringing the water from her shorts and tank, to fetch her own surfboard. She didn’t wear bikinis. Partly because she hated the scars decorating her body—they reminded her of what she’d lost—and partly because she wasn’t eighteen anymore. The beach babe look wasn’t her style.
She grabbed the board and dragged it to the water. As the sea lapped at her feet, she saw Sterling catch the beginnings of a wave and clamber upright. He was leaning too far forward. But then he corrected himself and rode the wave for a full ten seconds before tumbling off, his head vanishing underwater. She hurried over, but he popped up right in front of her and she stumbled, losing her footing.
Sterling’s body saved her from going under. She grabbed ahold of his chest to right herself, and then their limbs entangled as they both struggled to reach the shallower water, where they collapsed, breathless and laughing. Her head rested on his shoulder and one of her legs threaded between his. They locked eyes, his rivaling the sky above them as they blazed into hers. His free hand came up to grasp her chin, ever so gently.
“Kat,” he breathed. “I really, really like surfing.”
Her smile trembled. Her nerves were all alight. She was too wired by his proximity to do anything more than say, “I’m glad.”
His hand curved around her cheek. “I also really, really like you.”
Her heart stuttered. “I… umm… God, I like you, too.”
Slowly, slowly, his lips descended toward hers. She had plenty of time to pull away. Plenty of opportunity to escape. But though she knew she didn’t deserve this wonderful, isolated moment with a man who looked at her as though she’d unraveled the secrets of the universe, she couldn’t resist. It had been such a long time since a man held her close, since she’d been able to smell the salt in his hair or feel the rapid thud of his heartbeat.
Their lips connected. Clung for a moment. Then her breath eased out as they drew apart. Sterling’s hand slid down the arch of her neck and cupped the back of her head. He looked at her with a question in his eyes. She leaned forward, wrapping both of her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
The kiss started out as an exploration. Soft, inquiring. When neither of them drew away, it deepened. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, then delved into her mouth. The tips of their tongues touched. She exhaled shakily and he shifted, his free hand curving around her lower back and drawing her closer. She complied, shimmying onto his lap, only breaking the kiss for a second.
They were deaf to everything around them. Blind to anything except each other.
He trailed kisses across her cheek and down the side of her neck. She shivered when he licked the skin at the base of her throat, and a noise rumbled in his chest. Heat pooled low in her belly, and tugs of wanting corresponded to the kisses he dropped on her damp, yearning skin.
Just when she thought she might go up in flames, water slammed her full in the face and shoved her onto her back.
Shit.
She coughed, and dragged herself off his lap and further up the beach until she reached dry sand. She mopped her sopping wet hair out of her face, then lay back and stared up at the sky.
Well, that was unexpected.
A laugh burst from her at the absurdity of the thought. She wasn’t even sure if she’d meant the kiss or the face-full of wave.
“You okay?” Sterling asked, reaching her side.
“Who the hell knows?” she asked, not expecting an answer. Only one thing was clear: she’d crossed a line, and there was no going back.
* * *
If askedwhen he woke this morning whether he’d be kissing Kat before midday, Sterling would have laughed and answered in the negative. Yet here he was. Lying beside her on the beach after they’d shared an exquisite, meaningful moment. He could scarcely believe it. This was the woman who’d been occupying his dreams, as well as a good portion of his waking thoughts. He’d hardly dared to imagine she might return his interest, although their connection during yoga had given him some degree of hope.
“That kiss…” he began, unsure how to finish the sentence.
“It was pretty good, wasn’t it?” Kat said.
“Better than good.” How about amazing? Mind-blowing? Momentous?
